4th Annual Ebony Bobcat Network event benefits OHIO's Urban Scholars

Mar 13, 2014By Jennifer Shutt Bowie

More than 100 Cleveland-area Ohio University alumni and friends attended an “Afternoon at the Theatre with EBN” in Cleveland Heights on Sunday, Feb. 23.

The special event featured a performance of “Knock Me A Kiss.” The play, by OHIO Distinguished Professor of Theater/Playwriting Charles Smith, is a fictional account inspired by the 1928 marriage of W.E.B. Du Bois’ daughter Yolande to Harlem Renaissance poet Countee Cullen.

Hosted by the Ohio University Alumni Association (OUAA) and the Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) the event was developed in 2011 by Cleveland-area residents and OHIO alumnae Connie Lawson-Davis, a 1967 graduate of The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education, and LaWanna McKinley White, a 1965 Patton College graduate, to benefit the Urban Scholars Program.

This year’s event took place at the Ensemble Theatre, which is operated by Artistic Director and Operations Manager Celeste Cosentino, who earned her bachelor of arts in theater from OHIO in 2001. The afternoon included local food and beverage and featured former Urban Scholar and 2013 graduate of the College of Health Sciences and Professions Tiera Evans.

“Tiera spoke about the benefits of the scholarship and her experience both in college and as a professional,” said Kellea Tibbs, assistant director of campus relations for the OUAA. “EBN does a great job fundraising and keeps students at the center of all of their activities. This annual theatre event is a great activity and will continue to grow and be a presence for OHIO alumni in the Cleveland area.”

The Urban Scholars Program, established in 2004, is a need-based scholarship program for graduates of urban school districts in Ohio. The program provides scholarships and professional development support to students from underrepresented groups with demonstrated financial need, academic achievement, and the desire and motivation to succeed.

To make a gift to the EBN Urban Scholarship, contact The Ohio University Foundation at 800-592-FUND or giving@ohio.edu. Checks may be made payable to The Ohio University Foundation (be sure to write “EBN Urban” in the notes section) and sent to the Foundation at P.O. Box 869, Athens, Ohio 45701. Gifts also can be made online at www.ohio.edu/give.